It’s a bad news / good news kind of day. At least for Disney World fans.
The bad news is … The future doesn’t look all that rosy for two Tomorrowland attractions, “The Timekeeper” and “The Carousel of Progress.” Managers at the Magic Kingdom have reportedly told cast members at that theme park that the Circlevision 360 show will no longer be shown seasonally. In fact, “The Timekeeper” allegedly presented its very last performance sometime over the 2005 holiday season.
Photo by Jeff Lange
As for COP … These same managers supposedly told staffers that they’re anticipating that Carousel will close for good sometime this Fall.
The good news is … The decision to close both of these Tomorrowland attractions was reportedly made prior to the Pixar acquisition deal. And given that John Lasseter is now WDI’s Principal Creative Advisor (Which means — in theory — that any plans that involve major changes at the theme parks will first have to be run by John) … Well, that may mean that “The Timekeeper” and/or the “Carousel of Progress” could possibly get a reprieve.
The big question now is … When exactly does this process begin? By that I mean: John sitting down with the creative staff at WDI and discussing what needs to be done at the theme parks. Deciding what new rides & shows now get built and which old attractions get closed.
From what I hear, the Imagineers are still obviously thrilled that Lasseter is now the “Go To” guy at WDI. But — at the same time — they’re being realistic.
As one Imagineering insider explained it to me yesterday:
“Animation has to be Lasseter’s top priority. He and Ed Catmull first have to review every single project that WDFA & DisneyToon currently has in production & in development. Making decisions about what projects now go forward and what projects can get shut down.
Once that’s done, they then have to meet with Dick Cook to discuss which animated films will be released when over the next five years. So that Dick can then make the necessary adjustments to the studio’s master schedule.
At the same time, John & Ed have to oversee the complete restructuring of WDFA. Deciding which middle managers & creative executives can now be let go, which former staffers then get invited back, what positions they now get offered. Hopefully, Don Hahn will be able to help them out with that.
And if these stories about Lasseter wanting to revive tradition animation at Disney turn out to be true … Well, that’s another huge complication. Would it be just a team from Disney that would then tackle this revival project? Or would John prefer to put a few of his own people on that production? And — if so — who then has to relocate from Emeryville to Burbank?
And let’s not forget that Lasseter has a movie of his own that he’ll have to start promoting soon. Given all the press that he’ll be expected to do for ‘Cars’ domestic & international release, it’ll probably be August before John’s finally free again.
So while we’re expecting to have a few meetings with Lasseter between now and then … Until the Pixar acquistion is actually completed and WDFA is all straightened out and ‘Cars’ is successfully launched, there’s just no way that John can have a lot of say about what’s really going on day-to-day at WDI.
So at least for the next six months, we’re stuck with our same old management team: Don (Goodman, president of Walt Disney Imagineering), Tom (Fitzgerald, executive vice president) and Marty (Sklar, vice chairman). Who are still plenty ticked off about what happened the last time that Lasseter was here. When John walked right past them and made a beeline for Tony (Baxter, senior VP of design).
Goodman was particularly p*ssed off because no one at that meeting would introduce him to Lasseter. Don actually had to walk up to John and say: ‘I’m the president of Imagineering.’ That was pretty funny to watch.”
Anyway … The way I hear it, Goodman, Fitzgerald & Sklar now realize that Lasseter is siding with the creatives. That — in his new role at WDI’s creative overseer — Lasseter will probably want people in Imagineering’s upper management that better reflect his own tastes. Who share John’s vision for what should be happen next with the Disney theme parks.
This is why Don & Tom are allegedly already looking for other opportunities within the Walt Disney organization. But as for Marty …
Well, given that Mr. Sklar first said that he’d retire from WDI after Disney’s California Adventure opened in February of 2001, then said that he’d retire after Tokyo DisneySea opened in September of 2001, then said that he’d retire after the Walt Disney Studios theme park opened in March of 2002, then said that he’d step down after Disneyland’s official 50th anniversary in July of 2005, then after Hong Kong Disneyland opened in September of 2005 …
Well, you get the idea, right? That Marty would really rather not retire from Walt Disney Imagineering. That he still enjoys his role as WDI’s elder stateman. And that — if Sklar had his druthers — he’d probably prefer to go out the way that John Hench did. Still on Disney’s payroll at the age of 95, still having some sort of say about the various projects that Imagineering then has in the works.
The only problem is — given that Marty has done really well with the political gamesmanship portion of his job (I mean, how else do you think that this man has managed to hang at the Walt Disney Company for 50+ years? Through multiple Mouse House management teams, through good times & bad? Sklar’s got great survival skills. More to the point, Marty’s perfectly willing to throw someone else’s pet project under the bus if it will ultimately further his own career) — the man’s also acquired a large number of enemies over the years. People who would just as soon see Marty finally keep his promise and actually retire from Walt Disney Imagineering sometime very soon.
Besides, were you to ask anyone at WDI what Sklar is best known for these days, it wouldn’t be his creative input or his sense of Disney company history. But — rather — Marty’s amazing ability to nod off right in the middle of virtually every meeting that he attends.
I’m serious, people. No matter how grave the matter is that’s being discussed, no matter how heated the debate is and/or who’s doing all the shouting … Invariably, at some point in that meeting, Sklar’s eye will close and then he’ll start to doze.
Now the general rule of thumb at Imagineering is that — given that Marty can sometime be a bit crotchety when he’s awaken — that it’s always the person with the least seniority in the room that has to wake up Mr. Sklar.
Mind you, sometimes the Imagineers actually elect not to awake Marty. In fact, it was just one of these times that led to (perhaps) the greatest practical joke ever played at WDI.
Let me set the scene for you: It’s a warm conference room at Imagineering headquarters in Glendale, CA. Where a storyboard meeting is being held right after lunch. Just the sort of circumstance that will typically start Sklar snoozing.
So it’s just Marty and three other Imagineers in this room. And these other Imagineers … They’re pitching their hearts out. Trying to get WDI’s vice chairman to finally sign off on their boards for a proposed attraction. So that they can then move foward with this ride’s next phase of development.
But — as always — Marty starts to droop as this after-lunch meeting drags on. And the next thing these three Imagineers know, Sklar’s head is on his chest and he’s softly snoring.
Which isn’t really a surprise. Given that these guys have seen this happen dozens of times before. But the difference is that — this time — these Imagineers are prepared.
So — as Marty sleeps — they quietly slip out of the conference room, rush back to their offices at Imagineering and quickly change out of their clothes. The Imagineers then take these piles of clothes down to WDI’s prop shop and grab three skeletons. They then dress these skeletons in the exact same outfits that they were wearing in that conference room with Sklar.
This trio of Imagineers then quickly carry those dressed skeletons through the hallways at WDI until they get back to the conference room where Marty is still dozing. They then quietly open the door and sneak back into the room, carrying the skeletons. The guys from WDI then pose these skeletons in the approximate positions that they were standing and/or sitting in when Sklar initially nodded off. Once that’s done, these three then quietly slip out of the room again … and stand outside the conference room door, listening.
Five minutes go by. Then 10 minutes. Then 15 minutes. Finally — somewhere around the 20 minute mark — Marty must have finally woken up. For the Imagineers standing in the hallway heard loud laughter coming from inside of that conference room.
Thankfully, Sklar must have really appreciated that gag. For no one got fired and/or reprimanded for goofing on WDI’s vice chairman.
Of course, this happened a number of years ago. And — given that Bob Iger keeps talking about he’s bringing people like Lasseter & Catmull on board at the Walt Disney Company in order to make the corporation a lot more dynamic — one wonders how tolerant Disney’s new CEO is going to be of a 72-year-old who’s best known these days for his survival skills as well as his ability to nod off in staff meetings.
But — then again — if John can possibly be persuaded to give “The Timekeeper” and “The Carousel of Progress” a last minute reprieve, then who knows what he may do for Marty?
After all, given Sklar’s close association with Walt Disney (I.E. In the 1960s, Marty ghost-wrote many of Walt’s speeches. Literally putting his words in Walt’s mouth), Lasseter may ultimately agree to keep Sklar on. So that there’ll then literally be someone at WDI that can always tell John lwhat Walt would have said or done.
But what do you folks think, folks? Should John keep Marty on at WDI? Or is it finally time for Sklar to make good on that promise to retire?
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